A new law regulating EV charging begins Dec 8. Here's what you need to know
Have or plan to own an EV charger? You may need to pay a one-time registration fee of S$750 subject to subsidies before you can use it.
An EV charging station in Singapore. (File photo: iStock)
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SINGAPORE: A new legislation that seeks to regulate the safe charging of electric vehicles (EVs), ensure the provision of reliable EV charging services and make charging infrastructure more accessible will commence on Friday (Dec 8).
The Bill was passed in parliament in November last year to encourage the adoption of EVs in Singapore amid a rise in registrations.
Whether you're an EV charger supplier, owner or operator, here's what you need to know about the Electric Vehicles Charging Act 2022.
Do EV charger suppliers need to be approved?
Yes. To ensure safety, all EV charger suppliers must get their charger models "type-approved" by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) before they can be supplied, said LTA in a media factsheet on Thursday.
Suppliers who have received approval must then apply for an approval label via the OneMotoring website and affix this to each charger.
This must be done before the chargers can be supplied, installed or certified as fit for charging any electric vehicle in Singapore.
Existing suppliers for EV chargers can continue to supply existing or remaining non-type-approved chargers that comply with safety standards while they submit their type-approval applications by Jun 7, 2024.
From Jun 8, 2024, it will be an offence to supply a non-type-approved charger model, said LTA.
First-time offenders may be fined up to S$40,000 and/or be jailed for up to 24 months.
What should I do if I own an EV charger?
Under the new regulation, all EV chargers must be registered before they can be used, said LTA.
New EV chargers can be registered via the OneMotoring website using the type-approval ID found on the charger's approval label. EV charger owners can contact their suppliers if their chargers do not have the approval label.
Meanwhile, existing owners of EV chargers installed before Dec 8 must provide LTA with their charger details to obtain a "provisional ID" for registration. The details required are:
- Manufacturer
- Model name/type reference
- Date of installation
- Proof of purchase, such as a receipt or delivery invoice
- Number of chargers to be registered
- Photos of each charger showing the manufacturer's name plate
- Applicant's personal particulars
Upon successful registration for both new and existing EV chargers, owners will be issued a registration mark, which must be visibly affixed to their chargers within 60 days from the date of registration.
Existing EV charger owners can continue to use unregistered EV chargers until Jun 7, 2024.
From Jun 8, 2024, it will be an offence to use any unregistered EV charger. First-time offenders may be fined up to S$10,000 and/or be jailed for up to six months.
Are there subsidies to help EV charger owners with registration costs?
There will be a one-time fee of S$750 for the registration of an EV charger "to recover the costs associated with the regulatory regime", LTA said.
However, the government will provide "time-bound subsidies" to support early deployment of EV chargers.
Owners of existing EV chargers purchased and installed before Dec 8 will have their registration fee waived if their applications are submitted by Jun 7, 2024.
New EV chargers deployed from Dec 8, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 will receive "differentiated subsidies". Low-powered EV chargers which are shared and/or publicly accessible will receive higher subsidies and be subject to the lowest registration fee.
Registration fees will be reviewed closer to December 2025.
Do all EV charging operators need a licence?
Landed homeowners who operate chargers for their household vehicles, as well as fleet owners who operate chargers used only for their fleet vehicles, do not require a licence.
However, all EV charging operators servicing the public must have a licence - which can be applied for via the OneMotoring website - to provide charging services or operate charging stations.
They will be subject to licensing requirements and conditions, such as "maintaining service uptime of chargers in their network, purchasing public liability insurance to cover their operations and providing charging-related data to LTA".
Existing EV charging operators can continue providing services until Dec 7, 2024 without a licence.
From Dec 8, 2024, those who operate without a licence may be fined up to S$30,000 and/or jailed for up to six months.
Will developers be mandated to provide charging infrastructure?
Under the new legislation, it will now be mandatory for developments undergoing "specified building or electrical works" to provide EV charging infrastructure, said LTA.
This applies to building works that erect or re-erect a building, or increase the existing gross floor area of a development by at least 50 per cent.
It also applies to electrical works involving an increase in approved electrical load, where the resulting electrical load will be more than 280 kilo-volt ampere (kVA).
The law mandates two charging provisions: Passive provision and active provision.
Passive provision requires the developer to supply at least 1.3kVA per car and motorcycle parking lot in the development. Active provision requires the developer to install a minimum number of charging points that draw a combined power of at least one-fifth of mandated passive provision.
Developments with fewer than eight parking lots will be exempted from the active provision mandate.
These provisions only apply to building works whose application for planning permission is made on or after Dec 8, as well as electrical works whose application for an increase in approved electrical load is made to SP Services on or after Dec 8.
